Gene Lewis: Remembering An American Equestrian Legend Gene Lewis, one of the great American horsemen of the 20th Century who applied his Western training roots to the jumper world, died on Easter Sunday, April 8, after a battle with lung cancer. Lewis was 82. Born in Oreana, Idaho, at the age of 11, Lewis went to work on an enormous cattle ranch in the state’s Southwest region. In 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force and spent time in England and flew numerous missions during the war....

Lexington, KY— It was a bit of history being made as the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) hosted the first of what is hoped to be annual I.T. summits at the Federation’s headquarters at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on March 29. The summit—designed to bring together the I.T. departments from the various breeds and disciplines to discuss common interests and concerns—proved to be a useful and enlightening event for the more than 30 people representing...

It has been more than 21 days since the last horse left the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) in Leesburg, VA, prior to a report of neurological equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1) on the premises. On Tuesday, March 13, State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Wilkes announced that, except for four quarantined premises, the state’s horse community may resume normal activities. Immediately upon the report of EHV-1, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) quarantined 10...

The United States Eventing Association (USEA)/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series will kick off its 2007 season on March 14 at the Sporting Days in Aiken Horse Trials in Aiken, SC. The series, which is best described as an equine talent search, gives some of the most talented youngsters in the country a chance to shine, with the ultimate goal to find future four-star champions. At least 20 qualifying competitions are planned for 2007, with the championships scheduled for September 12, at...

The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the national governing body for endurance riding in the United States, will hold its 2007 annual convention in Sparks, NV. The two-day program of seminars, informational meetings and a free trade show is set for February 23-24 at John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Leading experts in equine health care and endurance-related fields will be featured at several seminar sessions. Other highlights of the AERC's convention will include a trade show featuring vendors...

—It was standing room only during the much-anticipated Pegasus Awards where the equestrian world’s brightest stars gathered to be honored and celebrate achievements from 2006, as well as a lifetime. Beezie Madden was named as the Equestrian of the Year during the evening’s ceremonies. Madden, who brought home two medals from the 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, Germany, this past fall, accepted her awards to a standing ovation. “There are so many people I...

Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher recently unveiled a prototype of highway signs that will be placed in prominent locations throughout Kentucky promoting the state as the home of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The project is a joint effort between the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Kentucky Commerce Cabinet’s Department of Tourism and 2010 World Equestrian Games officials. “Kentucky is synonymous with the horse, and the World Equestrian Games are the world championships of the...

(Lexington, Ky.)—In order to ensure that the needs and concerns of the equestrian world’s best athletes are addressed at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc., the organization in charge of putting on the Games, has formed an Athlete’s Advisory Committee. This committee will provide input to Games organizers from some of the equestrian world’s most experienced athletes. “Every major sporting event professes to be an ‘athlete’s’ event and to...

Randi Muster (McLain Ward and Sapphire) It came down to a four-rider jump-off speed round at the 2006 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship at the 123rd National Horse Show in Wellington, FL, on Sunday afternoon. And in a finish befitting the championships sponsor—Rolex—the crowds counted split seconds in the final speed test. When the last rider left the course and the points were tallied, McLain Ward and his Sapphire bested all challengers to win the title in a suspenseful, yet...

The Equine Research Coordination Group (ERCG), a group comprised of researchers and organizations that support equine research, has agreed upon and announced objectives for the coming year. "It's time to focus on the future of equine research," said Nathaniel White, II, DVM, Chairman of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation Advisory Committee. "Funding quality equine research and promoting the need for more researchers must become a priority for the industry if we...